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Let’s pick up the topic we spent some time on back in March. After the invention of gunpowder, every time a navy faces conflict after a long time at peace, one of the first things they realize they have to do is to get more guns, and larger caliber guns, on their ships as soon as possible. This reality today also applies to a side-branch, missiles, as well, but today let’s focus on the gun proof. In peace, the accountants and those who are willing to shift their personal career risk onto combat risk worn by other people will happily divest platforms of money and people hungry weapons to buy cheaper, smaller, none—or if they are feeling a little guilty, will “fit for but not with”. After a real war at sea happens, and the Naval War Gods of the Copybook Headings remind you of the folly of the peacetime accountants, you start to see weapons appearing on any surface that can support them. Make no mistake, in the next Great Pacific War we will be required to do with modern weapons to counter everything from ballistic missiles to low-and-slow drones what the USS Alaska (CB 1) had to do in 1945 against the threats of her day. That’s just the air threat. As the Ukrainians have reminded everyone at the Russians’ expense, you also need to be ready for the small and sometimes sneaky and slow threat on the surface. In the March post, we covered a few options of weapons we can buy to bolster the weapons options for our warships and auxiliaries that are already in production. We left one out. First, as pointed out by Trent Telenko, there is a pedigree here. First of all, let’s remember the M15 halftrack and its 37mm/.50 caliber combination mount ashore from WWII and Korea. As Virtual Bayonet pointed out, look at what we’re buying to take to sea. That pic is from USS Mustin (DDG 89) equipped with the new Mark 38 Mod 4. Where the Mod 0 through Mod 3 had a stand-alone 25mm gun, the Mod 4 has not just been up-gunned to a 30mm gun (with expanded ammo options including the Programmable Airburst Rounds that is perfect for counter-UAS and small boats), it threw in Ma-Deuce for fun and profit. The 30mm accepts standard NATO 30mm x 173mm NATO ammunition, including the whole constellation of of high-explosive (HE) and armor-piercing (AP) rounds available—just in case you have more interesting targets needing your attention. Just a superb evolutionary development. More. Faster. Also, up those numbers. Share Leave a comment This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. View the full article

Turkey’s ROKETSAN unveiled the TAYFUN Block 4 ballistic missile at SAHA 2026 in Istanbul, displaying it publicly for the first time mounted on its 8×8 wheeled launcher. According to Clash Report’s coverage of the SAHA 2026 exhibition, the missile measures approximately 10 meters in length, weighs approximately 7.2 tons, and achieves speeds exceeding Mach 5, […]View the full article

Russia’s Rostec state defense corporation has announced a new vehicle-mounted counter-FPV drone jammer of its SERP anti-drone system family, specifically designed to protect mobile assets against FPV drone attacks. The new system, designated SERP-FPV, was developed by the Rosel holding company, a Rostec subsidiary focused on electronic warfare and radio electronics, according to the company’s […]View the full article

Peraton has landed a U.S. Navy contract worth up to $90.7 million to keep the MK 18 family of explosive ordnance disposal underwater drones operational across fleet commands at home and at key overseas locations, with work running from San Diego to Spain, Bahrain, and Okinawa. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific awarded the cost-reimbursement contract […]View the full article

The B-52 bomber is getting new engines, and the program just cleared the last major technical hurdle before physical modification work begins on the first aircraft. The B-52J Commercial Engine Replacement Program held its Critical Design Review at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, a milestone that clears the path for Boeing to begin modifying the […]View the full article

Turkey’s Pasifik Technology has signed a framework contract with an undisclosed country for a package of 101,035 unmanned systems, headlined by 100,000 FPV kamikaze drones, in what represents one of the largest single drone export agreements publicly announced by a Turkish defense company. The contract covers five distinct unmanned platforms across air and ground domains. […]View the full article

Vietnam has developed a new 8×8 amphibious armored personnel carrier prototype, the XTC-03, built by the Vietnam Defense Industry as a domestically designed replacement superior to the Russian BTR-80 series. The XTC-03 represents a significant step in Vietnam’s effort to reduce dependence on Soviet and Russian legacy equipment while building indigenous armored vehicle design capability. […]View the full article

A U.S. advanced propellant company with a 15-year operational relationship with the Department of War has officially launched as a dedicated defense entity, bringing three drop-in fuel replacements designed to extend the range, endurance, and strike capacity of American aircraft, missiles, and rockets without requiring changes to existing propulsion systems. CycloKinetics, Inc. announced its formal […]View the full article

Ukraine struck deep into Russian territory overnight, hitting a strategically significant electronics plant in Cheboksary, the capital of the Chuvash Republic, approximately 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, according to analysis by Exilenova+. The initial strike was carried out by what Exilenova+ analysts identified as an FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile targeting the VNIIR Progress facility. […]View the full article

I can certainly envision this happening and I don't expect that the game has any code to prevent it from happening. Definitely post up the scenario and saved game.

China is reportedly developing a new stealth cruise missile sized to fit inside the internal weapons bays of its J-20 and J-35 stealth fighters, according to technical design documents released in Weibo. The missile’s design specifications set its length at under 4 meters and diameter under 0.85 meters — dimensions that are almost certainly driven […]View the full article

China’s state news agency Xinhua published footage showing the Type 100 main battle tank, the People’s Liberation Army’s next-generation armored platform, conducting field training exercises, marking the first time the tank has been shown in an operational training environment and offering the first brief glimpse of its interior. The footage shows the Type 100 maneuvering […]View the full article

AeroVironment (AV) landed a U.S. Army prototype agreement on May 4 for its Switchblade 400 loitering munition under the Low-Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program. The LASSO award establishes Switchblade 400 as a key component of the Army’s loitering munition architecture, covering rapid development, delivery, and testing. “This award reflects the Army’s confidence not only […]View the full article

Lithuania’s first HIMARS rocket artillery systems are coming off the production line, the Lithuanian Armed Forces announced, releasing the first images of the vehicles and confirming delivery is expected within the coming years. “The first Lithuanian HIMARS are rolling off the production line — this is what they will look like,” the Lithuanian Armed Forces […]View the full article

Indian drone manufacturer Hoverit has completed vehicle-mounted launch trials of its Divyastra Mk-2, a long-range one-way attack drone in the same class as Iran’s Shahed series. The ground trial milestone follows an earlier high-speed taxi trial, with the company confirming in its announcement that vehicle-based launch has now been completed. “After successful High Speed Taxi […]View the full article

Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space, and Firefly Aerospace have announced a three-way strategic collaboration to develop sea-based launch capabilities for national security missions, a partnership that brings together a defense prime with decades of missile heritage, an offshore launch platform operator, and a commercial rocket company whose Alpha vehicle has been carving out a role in […]View the full article

This week, we start another chapter in the Iran conflict. Might as well start with the primary source. What does this actually operationalize into? Let’s see how CENTCOM outlines it. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin supporting Project Freedom, May 4, to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The mission, directed by the President, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor. A quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products are transported through the strait. “Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. Last week, the U.S. Department of State announced a new initiative, in partnership with the Department of War, to enhance coordination and information sharing among international partners in support of maritime security in the strait. The Maritime Freedom Construct aims to combine diplomatic action with military coordination, which will be critical during Project Freedom. U.S. military support to Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members. Using the UN’s numbers, there are 20,000 mariners and 2,000 ships stuck inside the Persian Gulf. In a solid summary from Sunday night in the NYT, Mr. Trump’s announcement was essentially a challenge to Iran, and a bet that it would not want to take the risk of firing the first shots — or laying mines — in a challenge to the United States. He said nothing about lifting the American blockade on all shipping in and out of Iranian ports. If the move works, it could flip the script on the current dual blockades — one run by the Iranians, the other by the United States. But it could also lead to a breach in the current cease-fire if Iran sought to try to intercept shipping or challenge the American effort. We will see what happens once we start doing this. By “we”, I mean the United States as it appears that the rest of the international community is more than happy to let Iran close the strait to international traffic. In essence, what we state we are doing is “forcing the strait” folded in with the escort of the commercial ships which are willing to make the Hormuz version of the Kessel Run with us. Off the top of my head, I’m going to make a few initial assumptions: We are confident we have a mine-free area to make the passage. We already have a list of ships willing to make the run. We are betting that the overwhelming show of force will keep the IRGC’s head down. Assumption #3…that’s the tricky bit and we’ll see during the course of the day how much Iran wants to keep the strait closed. As reported by the BBC this Monday AM, Oil prices spiked sharply in response to reports from Iranian state media that two missiles hit a US warship as it tried to enter the Strait of Hormuz. The Brent crude benchmark price soared by more than $4 per barrel within minutes of the news breaking, to hit $114, more than 5% up on the day’s opening price. It fell back slightly after the US denied the strike took place. … Fars Plus, an outlet associated with Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, has published two voice notes attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In them, warnings are issued in Persian and English to vessels in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman saying the Strait “remains closed”. I’ve listened in and this is what the messages say: “This is a serious warning from the naval forces of the IRGC. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and passage through it without the permission of the Islamic Republic of Iran and outside the designated route is prohibited. “If any vessel passes without permission at longitude 56°00′ East in the Persian Gulf and latitude 25°40′ North in the Sea of Oman, it will be struck and destroyed.” … The United Arab Emirates says a tanker affiliated with Adnoc, its state-owned oil company, has been hit in the Strait of Hormuz. No one has been injured, the country’s foreign ministry says in a statement, adding: …. The UAE has called for Iran to stop the attack and “ensure its full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz”. Via The Economist…this is why Hormuz and her sisters will always matter…and are worth fighting for. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Share Leave a comment View the full article

Israel’s first KC-46 tanker aircraft has completed its maiden flight in the United States, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced. The aircraft, designated “Gideon” in Hebrew, is the first of six KC-46 tankers procured by the IMOD Mission to the U.S. on behalf of the Israel Defense Forces. Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus is a multi-role aerial […]View the full article

A drone pilot operating somewhere in the Washington D.C. area recently had no idea he’d been found, until a military police vehicle with a small detection kit on its roof had already pinpointed his location, pulled his grid coordinates, and displayed them on a tablet inside the cabin. The system that did it was DZYNE […]View the full article

The U.S. Air Force’s VC-25B Bridge aircraft, the interim replacement for the aging Air Force One fleet, has completed modification and flight testing and is now being painted in a new red, white and blue livery, with a public rollout scheduled for this summer. The Department of War accepted a head-of-state configured Boeing 747-8i from […]View the full article

The U.S. Army has awarded a production contract to SURVICE Engineering for the Joint Autonomous Aerial Resupply System. A cargo drone designed to deliver supplies to troops in the field without putting additional soldiers at risk to do it. The contract came through PM UAS, the Army’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Project Office sitting under the […]View the full article

This does ring a bell. What game version are you using? It might be something that has been dealt with previously. If you are using the latest release then the promised saved game and test scenario will be needed I'd guess. Good to see old players coming back on board 😁

Time to catch up on what’s making a buzz on the waterfront. Join us this Sunday at 5 PM Eastern for a Midrats Podcast May Day Weekend Maritime Melee! You can join LIVE at this link. If you are reading this after the show, refresh the Substack page for the podcast links. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Share Leave a comment View the full article

Ukrainian armored vehicle maker Inguar Defence has developed a medevac variant of its Inguar-3 in a short development timeline. The medevac version keeps the Inguar-3’s proven armored shell but departs significantly from the baseline configuration inside. The new vehicle features specialized medical equipment, a redesigned floor layout, different mounting points, and a ramp for fast […]View the full article

The U.S. Army is buying a precision wind tunnel for its primary measurement standards laboratory at Redstone Arsenal, a piece of scientific equipment whose specifications reveal exactly how seriously the service takes the accuracy of its own test and measurement infrastructure. The Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal published a solicitation on May 1, 2026, […]View the full article